Rolling railway-ikon



PATENTED OCT. 5, 1858.

J. FRITZ. ROLLING RAILWAY IRON.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JNO. FRITZ, OF JOHNSTOVVN, PENNSYLXANIA.

ROLLING RAILWAY-IRON.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 21,666, dated October 5, 1858.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN FRITZ, of Johnstown, in the county of Cambria and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Three-High Rolls for Rolling Railroad-Rails, Bars, Beams, &c. and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the construction and operation of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making a part of this specification, in which Figure 1. represents a perspective view, of the rolls, frame, and parts connected thereto. Fig. 2. represents a vertical cross section taken through the rolls. Fig. 3. represents a longitudinal vertical section through the rolls and frame.

Similar letters of reference where they occur in the separate figures, denote like parts of the apparatus in all of them.

In the rolling of railroad rails, bars, beams, &c., as at present pursued, the length of the rail, bar, or beam is limited by two almost insuperable causes, viz: first, the ability to give them the required number of passes through the rolls, while they retain a sufiiciently high welding heat, and secondly, the difficulty of turning the rail, bar, or beam, when very long, which must be done to prevent, or roll down any partings of the fiber of the metal, and to roll down the fin that forms at the loose or free parts of the grooves of the rolls.

By my construction and arrangement of rolls, I effectually remove the diiiiculties heretofore encountered, and can roll at a single heat, and without welding on, a rail, bar or beam, one third longer, than can be done by any other arrangement of rolls hitherto known, or at least of which I have any knowledge. This I do by so contriving that, each succeeding pass shall roll down the fin formed by the preceding pass, and avoiding the turning over of the bar, rail, or beam, which, in a beam of 50, or feet in length, is a very important saving. I also roll the bar, rail, or beam, in both its passages back and forth, which rolls down all and every part of the rail or beam that has a tendency to part or rise, and is moreover a better means of retaining the necessary heat in the metal than to pass the bar or beam back at each pass, over the rolls, to be rentered at the same side of them, for it not only econo mizes time, but the metal retains more of its heat in passing back through the rolls, than it does in passing over them. It is known that, the tendency of the metal, in being passed through between rolls, is to follow the rolls, and any portion of the metal that detaches itself from the rail or beam, turns up in the direction of the rotation of the roll, and that by reversing the passage of the rail or beam through the rolls, such detached or parted portion is again rolled down into its place. \Vhen too high rolls are used, the rail or beam must be turned over, and when it must of necessity be turned over, its length must be limited. By my plan I can roll, with greater ease and facility, and in less time, a rail or beam 50 feet long, than can, by the old method, be rolled a 35 feet rail. Nor am I limited to 50 feet, as I believe I can economically roll a beam or rail 70 feet long without a weld, a thing hitherto unknown in this art.

My invention consists first, in the so arranging of three high rolls, for rolling bars, rails, or beams, as that the article shall be subjected to the rolls in each of its passes to and fro, and so that each succeeding pass, shall roll down the fin formed at the preceding pass, and thus avoid the turning of the rail, bar, or beam, and secondly, in combining with the top roll of the series, or with the roll that performs its part of the operation, the elastic, or yielding guides, or their equivalents, for causing the bar, beam, or rail, to pass from the said roll, and not wind around it.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe the same with reference to the drawings.

A, A, represents the base or bed of the frame with undercut grooves a, a formed in their tops. Upon these base pieces, are sup ported the pillar blocks, or side pieces of the frame B, B, which are screwed to, or otherwise united, to blocks that can move in said undercut grooves a, a.

C, D, E, represent three rolls, whose journals 0, cl, 0, are supported in suitable boxes f, g, 71,, arranged in the side pieces B, B, of the frame. Over the tops of the journals 0, (I, e, of the rolls, are followers, 1', j, k, which are adjustable to their respective journals, through the set screws F, F, at the tops of the pillar blocks B. There are also side bearers x to the journals for holding them in a proper vertical line. The tops of the p in a direct line,,as it leaves the rolls.

pillar blocks are held together by stay rods G, G, and screw nuts thereon. I

The rolls herein represented, are arranged for five passes, but may be arranged for a greater or less number of passes; they also have a duplicate of the finishing pass (which is the last one) because that groove should be more perfect than the others need be, and the working passes, will last as long without repair or renewal, as will two sets of finishing grooves. The shape or contour of'the bar, rail or beam, is formed in reverse in the rolls, 'as is common in the art, and may be made with such gradual reductions or changes of form, as are found most advantageous. The top and bottom rolls C, E, are (what is termed) groove rolls, and sometimes flanged rolls, while the center roll D, of the series, is a tongue roll. The rolling surface of the roll D, is greater in circumference, than that of the roll E, for the purpose of throwing or keeping down the end of the bar or beam, and prevent it from winding on said roll Dit overhanging the lower roll, like a shelf. The guide H, receives the lower side of the bar, rail or beam, and keeps it Now as it is actually necessary that, the roll D, should have a greater rolling surface, than the one E, below it, and as the top roll C, must bear the same relative position (mechanically) to D, that D, does to E, (that is to prevent the bar from winding around itself) there would seem to be a mechanical impossibility, when it is understood that the roll C, is almostthe duplicate of E, and yet in effect it must be as much larger than D, as D, is larger than E. To overcome this heretofore insuperable difficulty in the sizes of the rolls when used t-hreehigh is one of the most important features of my invention, and consists in the introduction into the machine, of the elastic, yielding or self adjusting guides or clearers m, m, and 0, whose points are made of steel, and shaped to fit, into the sharp angles of the grooves, and take the rail or bar upon themselves, the moment it passes the point of closest impact between the rolls, and thus not only prevent the bar or beam from winding itself around C, but guides and conducts it out between the stationary guides 02, n, and thus these guides or clearers m, have the same effect, in keeping the bar or beam from winding on C, that the large diameter of D effects in protecting. itself, while C, and E may thus have the same rolling surfaces, which they must have, to match with the center one D that works in common with both of them. These guides or clearers m, are represented as suspended by rods 0, 0 &c., to levers p, p, &c. pivoted on the rod q, and furnished at their outer ends with weights 7", 7' &c., to hold them into the corners of the grooves. Of course springs, or any other equivalent device may be used for holding up these clearers in their proper places, while their points may conform to the adjusted, and adjustable position of the rolls. The beam or cross bar I, prevents the heels of these clearers from rising above a fixed position, while their points, which can descend by the raising of the weight, cannot rise as it is in contact with the roll.

Suitable guides are furnished for keeping the bar,in its proper lateral position, while the stationary guides below, and the yielding or elastic ones above keep it in proper horizontal position, and prevent winding.

The operation is as follows: The pile or bolt of iron of which the bar or beam is to be made, being suitably heated, is first passed through the pass 1, (see Fig. 3), and

returned back through the pass 2and in coming through 2, a fin will be formed at the lower left hand corner of the pass the drawing being slightly distorted to better show how the fin forms at the loose side of the groove. It is then passed through 3, (without being turned over), and the fin v formed at 2, now comes in the tight or solid part of the groove and is rolled down, while another or a lesser one forms at the upper right hand corner, which is now the loose corner. where the fin formed at 3, comes into the closed part of the groove and is rolled down, and a lesser one formed at the lower left hand corner, which in turn is rolled down at the 5th pass, and so oneach succeeding pass rolling down the fin formed in the pre ceding pass, and without at any time turning the bar. If any part of the bar or beam starts up, ordetaches itself which often happens, and curves up,'as it invariably does in the direction of the motion of the rolls, the return pass immediately rolls it down again, as the direction of the bar is reversed at each operation or pass, and thus the bar or beam need never be changed end for end .7

Should it be necessary at any time to bring the bolt back after it has passed through 1, and before it passes through 2, it may be done by passing it through the pass 8. As the bar or beam goes through the passes, it is received on the skeleton table J, and thence back between the guides as above stated.

By this construction and arrangement of three high rolls, I not only make a longer bar, and with less labor than heretofore, but I make a better bar inasmuch as it is made quicker, and while the heat is in a better.

WGlCllIlg' condition. There'would even be economy in the preservation of the heat, by returmng the bar between the rolls, than over them, if not rolled or reduced on return1ngas they lose less heat when passed between the rolls.

Having thus fully described the nature and object of my invention, what I claim Thence it is passed through 4:,

2. I also claim in combination with the top roll of the series, or with any roll of a series which performs its duty, the yielding clearer or guide, or its equivalent, for preventing the bar, rail or beam from Windingon said roll.

JOHN FRITZ.

\Vitnesses A. B. STOUGHTON, THos. H. UPPERMAN. 

